Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Cortona

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,550 a month against $1,782 in Cortona, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Cortona
Learn more

Cortona Living Index

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Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Cortona

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Cortona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Istanbul and in Cortona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $1,782 in Cortona, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Cortona $1,782

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $2,699 in Cortona, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Cortona $2,699

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $3,616 in Cortona, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Cortona $3,616

Istanbul is about 13% cheaper than Cortona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Istanbul and Cortona sit above the global median – Istanbul by 15%, Cortona by 32%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$19.97 €17.76

-38.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$80.3 €71.4

-31.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$11.47 €10.21

-19.62%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.99 €1.77

121.11%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₺83.1

$3.37 €3.00

-50.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$1.41 €1.26

-58.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$6.61 €5.88

-28.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$4.37 €3.89

35.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.70 €1.51

-28.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$2.20 €1.96

-59.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$3.11 €2.77

-29.58%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$5.20 €4.62

-54.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$27.98 €24.89

-62.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$16.13 €14.34

-64.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$24.34 €21.65

-13.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$2.97 €2.64

-36.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$2.16 €1.92

6.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$3.29 €2.93

-61.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$3.25 €2.89

-44.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$3.12 €2.78

-79.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$2.17 €1.93

-70.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$1.88 €1.68

-33.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.83 €0.74

-32.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$7.66 €6.81

-69.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$8.55 €7.61

56.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$2.59 €2.30

-7.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$4.07 €3.62

-14.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$5.55 €4.94

-76.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$2.21 €1.97

-58.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$11.50 €10.23

-4.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$2.09 €1.86

-29.67%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$36.5K €32.4K

39.30%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$35.3K €31.4K

26.14%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$88.6 ₺4,387

$339 €301

-73.84%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.59 ₺574

$12.19 €10.84

-4.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$42.74 €38.02

-63.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$28.43 €25.29

171.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

$11.22 €9.98

102.67%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$10.78 €9.59

-24.49%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$634 €564

58.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$8,834 €7,858

189.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$99.7 €88.7

-45.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$75.8 €67.4

-46.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$87.6 €78.0

12.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$194 €172

-50.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$839 €746

17.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$401 €357

61.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

$1,487 €1,323

33.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

$613 €546

92.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

$2,234 €1,987

40.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

$2,788 €2,480

-36.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

$3,170 €2,820

-61.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.92

3.7

1005.95%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cortona: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Cortona

$401 22.5% 38.2% $249

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Cortona

$436 24.5% 68.1% $177

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Cortona

$279 15.7% 25% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Cortona

$206 11.5% 57.4% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Cortona

$394 22.1% 239% $278

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Cortona

$50 2.8% 46.5% $43

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Cortona

$17 * 0.9% 78.4% $60

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Istanbul versus $839 in Cortona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 163% higher in Cortona, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul versus $80.0 in Cortona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $436 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇮🇹 Cortona

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

01:31 1:31 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

22,450

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Cortona 1,420 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Cortona

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Istanbul vs Cortona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul, $1,782 in Cortona – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $2,674 in Cortona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,550 in Istanbul and $1,782 in Cortona. That's a gap of about 15%.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $634 in Cortona. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,550, than in Cortona at $1,782. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cortona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,550 in Istanbul to $1,782 in Cortona. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cortona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.